SUNGAI PETANI, 3 April 2009: The result of the Bukit Selambau state by-election on 7 April may be known only after 10pm that day due to the large number of candidates contesting the seat, Kedah Election Commission (EC) director Zainal Abidin Zakaria said today.
Fifteen candidates are contesting in the by-election, necessitated by the resignation of assemblyperson V Arumugam of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in February.
“Usually the result (of a by-election) will be known around 9pm but (in this case) we expect the result to be known after 10pm because of the longer time needed to count the votes of each candidate,” he told Bernama at the EC office here.
Zainal Abidin also said that ballot papers had been sent to the 65 postal voters, 50 of them EC workers, 10 police officers and five people who are abroad. They have until 5pm on 7 April to return the ballot papers.
On another matter, he reminded political parties not contesting in the by-election not to put up their party flags as it would be in violation of the EC rules.
He said the EC had come to know of political parties which were not contesting and had not paid deposits but had put up their flags, and added that the EC would remove these flags. — Bernama
